[GUIDE] Render 2D avatars for profile pictures

General
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The Ready Player Me Avatar API is capable of creating high-quality 2D avatar profile pictures (docs). Whether you’re building a social app, a game, or a virtual community, the avatar API provides an easy way to generate dynamic 2D images of avatars that can be personalized to reflect an user’s identity. This guide will introduce the key features of the avatar API focused on generating 2D profile pictures, how to use it, and address some frequently asked questions to help you get started.

What is the Ready Player Me avatar API?

The Ready Player Me Avatar API is also designed to provide developers with the ability to render 2D images of avatars for use as profile pictures, thumbnails, icons, and more. This API is particularly useful for applications that need to display avatars in a static format but want the flexibility to customize and optimize these images on the fly.

Key capabilities of the Ready Player Me avatar API for 2D avatars

  1. Dynamic avatar profile picture generation:
    • Instantly generate 2D profile pictures of Ready Player Me avatars with custom poses, facial expressions, and sizes.
    • Adjust camera angles and backgrounds to create unique and personalized images suitable for any platform.
    • Generate high-resolution images suitable for profile pictures, social media or gamification elements (leaderboards etc.).
  2. Fast and scalable rendering:
    • The Avatar API is designed for speed, allowing you to generate and update avatar images quickly. This makes it perfect for applications that require frequent updates or have a large user base.
    • Efficient API requests ensure minimal latency, providing a smooth user experience.

How to use the Ready Player Me Avatar API for 2D profile pictures

To create 2D avatar profile pictures using the Ready Player Me avatar API, follow these steps:

  1. Generate a render request (you can paste the URL in you browser for testing):
    • Use a GET request to render 2D images of avatars. The base URL for rendering profile pictures is:

https://models.readyplayer.me/{avatar_id}.png

  • Customize the request URL with parameters such as blendShapes, cacheControl, quality, expression, pose, camera, size, and background to specify the look and style of the profile picture.
  1. Adjust render parameters for pictures:
    • blendShapes: map of 3D meshes to their blend shapes (?blendShapes[mouthSmile]=0.2). Read more on what are blendshapes.
    • quality: default quality is the highest. (?quality=0-100) Defines the compression quality for lossy formats like jpg.
    • expression: specify the facial expression the avatar will be making (?expression=happy/lol/sad/scared/rage).
    • pose: Set a static pose for the avatar (?pose=power-stance/relaxed/standing/thumbs-up).
    • camera: Define camera position to control the framing of the avatar (?camera=portrait/fullbody/fit). Portrait is the default camera.
    • size: specify image dimensions for width and height in pixels (?size=64/256/1024)
    • background: Choose a background color in RGB format (?background=144,89,156). The default is transparent.
  2. Integrate into your application:
    • Use the generated render URL in your app or platform to display dynamic profile pictures that can be personalized by users on the fly.

Examples:

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You can combine multiple parameters by concatenating them with a “&”.

FAQ/Troubleshooting

1. Why is my avatar profile picture not appearing correctly?

  • Ensure that you are using the correct pose and camera parameters for the desired profile picture. Additionally, check if the background parameters are set properly to match your application’s requirements or if there are any spaces in the url.

2. How can I make avatar profile pictures more personalized for users?

  • The avatar API allows you to apply different poses and expressions to the avatars. You can build a simple photo booth experience to enable users to choose their pose and expression based on how are they feeling right now.

3. What image formats are supported for profile pictures?

  • The avatar API supports common formats like PNG and JPG.

4. How can I optimize the avatar images for better performance?

  • Adjust the resolution and output format to balance quality and performance. For example, using a lower resolution or JPG format can reduce file size and load times, which is beneficial for web and mobile applications.

5. Can I update avatar images in real time?

  • Yes, the avatar API is designed to support real-time updates. Simply change the parameters in the GET request to generate new images dynamically without the need to store them locally.

We will keep this post updated with the questions you post as comments here. Please, don’t hesitate to provide feedback or suggestions, we will share them across the team!

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